SportsRecreation
PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2012
B3
Tebowmania begins in New York Jets’ new QB draws Attention THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Tim Tebow got his first New York close-up Monday. And he handled it all with the same cool approach — smiling, polite, composed — that has won over so many football fans around the country. Speaking at news conference in the Jets’ field house, because the media crush so great the session couldn’t be held in the team’s normal press room, the headline-grabbing New York backup QB went out of his way to play down any conflict between himself and starter Mark Sanchez. “Me and Mark have a great relationship,” Tebow said. “We’ve been friends the past three years and have already texted back and forth. We are going to have a great working relationship and I think we’ll have a lot of fun together.” Acquired last Wednesday from Denver, the exciting but flawed quarterback is coming off a season of incredible comebacks with the Broncos, taking them from a 1-4 record to the playoffs. The Jets are hoping he has more surprises left in him. “Hopefully, by me being here, we can be a little bit better,” Tebow said, decked out in a gray suit and a light green tie. “I think I can add something, and that’s my hope and prayer.” Tebow’s new club threw him a quick challenge on Monday, sending him out alone to take questions at what was probably the biggest news conference ever for a second-string NFL player. Not a problem. Tebow spoke in a measured, upbeat tone for more than half an hour. “I have bosses, too, and they wanted me to stand up here and talk to you all,” Tebow explained, grinning, “so I can blame them.” Coach Rex Ryan, general manager Mike Tannenbaum and owner Woody
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tim Tebow holds his first news conference with the New York Jets, in Florham Park, N.J., on Monday. Tebow, who led the Denver Broncos to the playoffs last year, was acquired in a trade Wednesday with Denver and will serve as the backup quarterback to Mark Sanchez. Johnson were not in the building. They were down at the NFL meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., far away from the wild scene at the team’s headquarters with more than 200 members of the media.
No teammates There were no teammates there, either, although Tebow said he has spoken with several of them already. “Ultimately, I’m just going to be myself and just have fun with it,” he said. While Ryan and Tannenbaum insist Sanchez is entrenched as the firststring quarterback, Tebow will also see plenty of time on the field and certainly much more of the spotlight. Ryan suggested on Sunday that Tebow could be used at a position other than quarterback. He kept referring to Tebow as a “football player,” his ability not limited to QB.
“I don’t see Tim just holding a clipboard,” Ryan told a group of reporters while in Florida for a meeting of NFL team owners. “He’s going to be playing for us. There is no doubt.” Ryan added: “There won’t be a better wildcat quarterback in the game. Is that his only role? I don’t believe that. We’ll see.” Tebow said first and foremost he’s a quarterback, and that’s his hope and dream, but “however I can help the team, I am open to it.” The newest Jet has already helped his team get some attention. While the club claims the trade for Tebow was a footballrelated move, it was also marketing gold as the polarizing QB has occupied the back — and, in some cases, the front — pages of the New York-area tabloids. And that’s just weeks after the Giants won their second Super Bowl in four years. Legions of fans have been snatching up Tebow’s
green and white No. 15 jersey. The famed Carnegie Deli in Manhattan already has a sandwich named after him, and Jockey has a digital billboard ad outside the Lincoln Tunnel — on the New Jersey side — with the underwear company saying it supports “Tebow & New York.” He laughed when someone asked if the perception was correct that the Jets’ reasons for signing him were more about things that had nothing to do with football. Tebow also briefly spoke about his strong Christian beliefs, something that has made him much more than just a football star. He said his faith is the most important thing to him, but he didn’t want that to be the focus on Monday. The quarterback did think it’s funny so much has been made of “Tebowing” in the last year. “I’m pretty sure I’m not the first athlete who has gotten on a knee and
prayed, but it’s known as ‘Tebowing,’” he said. “I’m not sure why.” It’s been a whirlwind of a few weeks for Tebow, who just last month was declared Denver’s starting quarterback going into this summer by John Elway. Not long after that, Peyton Manning was suddenly in town and Tebow was told he could get traded. So much for “Timsanity” in Denver. Well, it has hit Broadway in full force, making “Linsanity” and the New York Knicks’ sensational Jeremy Lin seem like a distant memory. Manning was introduced as the Broncos’ newest quarterback last Tuesday, and just over 24 hours later, Tebow was on the move, surprisingly headed to New York. And then, he wasn’t. A snag in the deal held things up between the Jets and Broncos, the delay centered on a salary advance due Tebow. Jacksonville, once con-
sidered one of the favorites to land their hometown star, jumped back in the hunt. But eight hours later, the Jets finally completed the trade, agreeing to pay half of the $5 million Denver owed Tebow. There was yet one more delay before the trade became official, as a technicality required Tebow to sign a rewritten contract which kept him on the Broncos’ salary cap until Saturday afternoon. But now Tebow is here, a member of the Jets. “This is where I want to be,” he said, adding that he preferred the Jets over the Jaguars because he was already familiar with New York’s coaches. He and Ryan share the same agent, and they chatted at the Super Bowl in Indianapolis last month. The Jets intend to make things work with him and Sanchez, who was given a contract extension that included $20.5 million guaranteed less than two weeks ago. He hasn’t commented publicly on the deal yet, but training camp up in quaint Cortland, N.Y., might be a pretty hot spot — especially if Sanchez struggles and restless fans push for more Tebow, creating a quarterback controversy that could last all season. Jets fans have been decidedly mixed on the trade, with many wondering why the team would add a monster distraction to a locker room that had serious issues last season and was partly to blame for an 8-8 finish. Sanchez’s leadership and confidence were questioned by some players, speaking anonymously in newspapers reports, and the addition of Tebow could cut into the starting quarterback’s ability to regain the room. “I don’t really pay too much attention to it,” Tebow said, joking that Sanchez warned him about handling the media. The fact is, whether anyone likes it or not, Tebow is part of the New York sports scene. Now the Jets must figure out how to make it a winning addition. “There’s a lot of pros here,” Tebow said, “and not a lot of cons.”
Tiger roars after first win since 2009 BY DOUG FERGUSON THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
“Great to have a frontrow seat watching maybe the greatest of all time doing what he does best — winning golf tournaments.” The only thing missing was the host himself. Palmer’s blood pressure increased during the final round from new medications, and he was taken to the hospital about 15 minutes before the tournament ended as a precaution. Alaistair Johnston, vice chairman at IMG and his longtime business manager, said Palmer would be kept overnight. “Nobody is overly concerned,” he said. Woods goes to No. 6 in the world, returning to the top 10 for the first time since May 22. “Heading home now and I can’t stop smiling. Thanks
to Otown fans and everyone watching for all the love. Get well soon, Arnie,” Woods tweeted about three hours after his win. On a Bay Hill course that was crisp, fast and dangerous, Woods ran off four birdies on the front nine to build a four-shot lead, then kept his mistakes to a minimum for a 2-under 70. He quickly stretched his lead to three shots on the opening hole when McDowell, who closed with a 74, caught a buried lie in the bunker and made double bogey. From 267 yards away in the fairway on the par-5 sixth, Woods hit a 3-iron THE ASSOCIATED PRESS that climbed over the water and landed softly to just Tiger Woods holds up the championship trophy after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational. over 15 feet away.
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ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods hit so many great shots that he couldn’t single one out as the best. Winning was as sweet as ever, even after a PGA Tour drought that stretched over 923 days and 27 tournaments, since 2009. The best part about posing with the trophy at Bay Hill? The conversation was back on golf, his favorite subject. Just two weeks ago, Woods gingerly climbed into a golf cart and was taken off the golf course at Doral with soreness and swelling in his left Achilles tendon, the same injury that caused him to miss three months and two majors last year. On Sunday, no one questioned his health. Woods marched to a fiveshot victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational that restored his confidence and gave him momentum going into the Masters two weeks away. “This was coming,” Woods said. “I’ve been close a number of times, basically since Australia. Just had to stay the course.” Only a month ago, there were concerns that Woods could no longer make the important putts. He had missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the last hole
to lose in the second round at the Match Play Championship. He missed several putts just as close when he crashed out in the final round at Pebble Beach. But there he was at Bay Hill, knocking in two big par putts on the back nine to keep his distance from Graeme McDowell. “I just never got close to him,” McDowell said. And then there’s the book by his ex-swing coach, Hank Haney. “The Big Miss,” which goes on sale today, has been such a sore spot with Woods that he lost his cool with a reporter earlier this month. The book reveals a driven player who is selfcentered and rarely satisfied, no big surprise except that it was a side of Woods he tried to keep private for all these years. Woods added a chapter to his own book Sunday. He won for the 72nd time on the PGA Tour — one short of Jack Nicklaus in second place on the career list — and 84th time worldwide. It was the 16th time he won by at least five shots, and his seventh win at Bay Hill tied the PGA Tour for most wins on a single golf course. Woods owns both marks. He also has won seven times at Firestone. “I think he really just kind of nailed home his comeback,” McDowell said.